In my last post I mentioned that the The Elms mission house was made of kauri. The mighty Kauri has been an important tree to us in our history. These photos are of the tree we have in our back yard. The tree is about 30 years old and maybe around 30 feet high. It regularly bears cones.
Agathis australis (Kauri) is a coniferous tree native to the subtropical northern section of the North Island of New Zealand and is the biggest but not tallest species of tree in the country, with trunk diameters that rival Sequoias. They attain heights of 40-50 meters and have smooth bark and small oval leaves.
Young plants grow straight upwards and have the form of a narrow cone with branches going out along the length of the trunk. However, as they gain in height, the lowest branches are shed to prevent epiphytes from climbing. By maturity, the top branches form an imposing crown that stand out over all other native trees, dominating the heights of the forest.
In the early days of colonization the kauri was logged extensively, almost clearing out the forests. The wood was used for building houses, furniture and was prized for boat building.
The gum from buried ancient kauri forests was dug up and sold for use as a varnish in the furniture trade. It sold for high prices. The far North of the country was the site of the gumfields, many Croatian and Dalmation immigrant workers were gumdiggers. It was a hard and lonely life.
The white streaks on the trunk of the tree shown in the picture is gum.
Today we are not able to fell kauri trees and the wood is hard to obtain. When old buildings are demolished the wood is reused, usually for furniture. It is a beautiful blonde colour with a translucence which makes it appear almost 3D.
I have a very very old piece of furniture made of kauri that has been passed down in my family. I will post a pic of it soon.
2 comments:
Are the leaves thick, like a succulent? For some reason, the photo makes me think of a jade plant...
It's always nice to hear about beautiful wood being re-used... Here, we re-use enormous planks of pine wood from old barns, and make gorgeous hardwood flooring out of them... It is almost impossible to find pine planks that wide, anymore.
Are people there actively trying to re-cultivate this beautiful tree?
Hi Candy, the leaves are thick but not soft like the Jade plant. They are very leathery.
Wood from old barns must be so beautiful, aged and full of history.
Yes the kauri is widely grown especially in parks and other wide open spaces. Not quite so much in private gardens (as our one) as it eventually grows into a very very large tree.
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